MAKAWAO, Maui — When Rose Cambra married into the Freitas ranching dynasty of Makawao, her mother-in-law handed down her saddle and a pair of spurs to the newlywed in a welcome-to-the-family gesture.

The gifts were a not-so-subtle message that in addition to keeping a tidy house and all the other duties of a Portuguese wife, the young woman would be expected to work the ranch alongside the men.

More than 50 years later, the work hasn't stopped, but it's been a labor of love for Rose Cambra Freitas, 74.

"I ride every chance I get. I have a passion for horses and the things they can do and how they can give you joy and happiness," she said.

Working side by side with husband Raymond Freitas, Rose roped and branded cattle, administered their inoculations, mended fences, cut guava and rode through brambles and deep gulches to round up strays. "Ranching is a hard life. It's a risky ride many times," she said.

When she wasn't working in the saddle, Freitas often could be found in the rodeo rink, roping and barrel-racing her way to more than 140 silver belt buckles, ribbon, koa bowls and trophies. And she's not done yet: Freitas will participate in the senior and open divisions at the world barrel-racing championships at the end of the month in Augusta, Ga. It will be the first time she's competed at the world event, despite qualifying on six previous occasions.

Before heading to Augusta, Freitas will be in Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday to be inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame — the only Hawai'i woman ever nominated for the honor.

"She's our first cowgirl from what some people call the far, far West," said Danny Latham of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. "Her commitment to promoting the Western lifestyle and her involvement in paniolo culture make Rose a great representation of a cowgirl."

Freitas has her own ideas about what makes a true cowgirl.

"A cowgirl is a girl who can do everything, from ranching to branding to rodeo events to trail riding and handling your horse the proper way," she said.

As an energetic tomboy, Freitas seemed destined for the saddle. Her great-grandfather Jose Francisco de Camara was an expert horseman from the old country, and her grandfather Joseph De Cambra worked for Maui's Cornwell Ranch, now Kaonoulu Ranch.

Her father, Louis De Cambra, was a field luna for the Pu'unene sugar plantation who performed his job on horseback, and the family lived near the company stables. Young Rose always admired the big, strong animals her father would tie up at the house during his breaks, and at age 9 or 10, she got a horse of her own named Feedbag.

Freitas recalls galloping along the dirt roads that crisscrossed the cane fields as a girl.

She came into her own as a horsewoman after marrying Raymond Freitas, now 81. At its peak, the Freitas Ranch spanned more than 1,000 acres of horses and cattle. Their only child, daughter Sharon Freitas, is carrying on the family business under the Rocking H Ranch brand. Sharon, a retired Baldwin High School teacher, also is a top-ranked barrel racer who will be competing in Augusta. And Rose's granddaughter, Heather Kan Hai, is a third-generation barrel racer at college in Texas.

Years ago there were no rodeo events for girls, so Sharon started the Maui All Girls Rodeo Association in 1974 with her mother's help. Through the years the Freitases have been active in a variety of rodeo and equestrian associations, and donate use of their private arena for horse shows and clinics.

Rose Freitas has been a fixture in the annual Makawao Rodeo Parade for 37 years, usually astride her beloved "paint" horse Terrific Glory and dressed in elaborate costumes depicting, for example, the Statue of Liberty, a Native American chiefess, and Annie Oakley, a Cowgirl Hall of Fame member along with Dale Evans, singer Patsy Cline, retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, "Little House on the Prairie" author Laura Ingalls Wilder and Sacagawea, the only woman to accompany the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Freitas is an expert seamstress who sews many of her costumes and western outfits, including a knock-out blue sequined ensemble, adorned with fringe and rose-shaped buttons, that she plans to wear to her induction ceremony. She even made a feather hatband to match.

Her devotion to horsemanship and the paniolo heritage earned Freitas selection last year as one of Maui's "100 Most Influential People" over the past century, and she also was honored by the National Park Service for her decades of volunteer work in Haleakala Crater — done on horseback, of course.

"When my husband first took me in 1951, I fell in love with the crater. It has such majestic beauty. Everything is so peaceful and serene. It's what Mother Nature gave us," she said.

Freitas still visits Haleakala, her most recent trail ride into the crater was in August.

Like a true cowgirl, Freitas can't imagine a time when she won't be living the ranch life, surrounded by her seven horses.

"I want to die with my boots on, in my saddle with my horses."

Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.